Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue. (Eugene O'Neil)

October 2008

October 29, 2008

Perhaps no message I have given recently has so inspired a renewed faith in our Lord as the one I shared on Sunday, October 19, entitled, More Than a Feeling. The message challenged our members (and, indeed, all Christ-followers) to run to the Lord and not away from Him in this time of economic and financial uncertainty. It exhorted us to put our hope and confidence in the Lord and not the uncertainty of riches. And it provided a specific challenge through which we, as individuals and as a church, can do just that.

Since our treasure reflects our heart (Matthew 6:19, 20), and the greatest commandment (according to Jesus) is that we "... love the Lord with all our heart ..." (Matthew 22:35-38), the elders at Mosaic have issued a specific challenge through which all who call themselves one with us might declare our love, faith and dependence on Him here at the end of the year. In so doing, we are expecting God to so move in us all as to create stories of His goodness, graciousness and compassion toward us as we embrace the challenge to actually increase our individual giving in November and December! In other words, if you give more than you might typically give ... if you give (as directed by God) and perhaps beyond what otherwise (humanly speaking) makes sense, etc., we believe God will not only still provide for you and your needs, i.e., you will still have clothes on your back, a roof over your head, food in your stomach, etc. Indeed, we believe God will bless you with a story(ies) to inspire other believers to step-up and lead out in trusting Jesus at a time when so many are losing hope. And in turn, such stories, we believe, will lead non-believers to Christ! This, then, is our ultimate goal!

In other words, this is a time of potential Kingdom harvest; and Mosaic is determined to lead and light the way!

Such stories are already being generated, as you can hear, for instance, in the intro to the message - the story of Bruce, one of our homeless members who responded so incredibly to the message after the first service last week (listen now). And just three days after I preached the sermon, committing Linda and I to increased giving ourselves, I received news four hours ago that a couple (outside the church and who did not hear the message) will be giving a gift of $36,000 to our church to be proportioned in increments of $1,000 a month in support of my salary, that portion that Linda and I released back to the church in order to hire Steven Weathers in September!

I want you to have such stories to tell, as well.

So, here's what I'm challenging you to do with Mosaic or your own local church in mind.

1. Listen to the message;
2. Take a brief moment after listening to respond by completing a brief survey;
3. Tithe (if you are not already, whether on your net and gross income) in November;
4. Begin to pray and to plan on making a sacrificial gift in December, something beyond what you might have otherwise planned to give.

Following the message, I received an encouraging email from Dan Gaffney, one of our members who is on staff at FamilyLife here in Little Rock. Dan wrote ...

"Thanks you for Sunday's message! Mark, you nailed it! I brought up the 'economic uncertainty' topic with my wife on the way to church. We had already heard some messages from other Christian leaders that shared a similar perspective to what we heard on Sunday, so we felt we had the right attitude and biblical mindset, etc. Yet as we talked further, I asked my wife the following question, “So what do we do about it?” We never actually answered the question, at least in the van ride to church ... until we looked at each other (more than once) during your message. Our hearts resonated with what was communicated! It was absolutely biblical at the core, and it was perfectly practical in answering the big question of what to do about it. I think we were both stunned as we sat in our chairs - by the timing of the sermon and the answer to our own prayer. All that to say, the Gaffneys are in! And we look forward with great expectations to what our King Jesus will do in November and December at Mosaic."

In the coming months, and with this challenge in mind, may we all have such an open, joyful and team spirit as one in Christ and in His Church!

October 15, 2008

Apparently this week, Leadership Journal (a publication of Christianity Today) uploaded to their online site a brief interview I provided for their Summer 2008 print edition entitled, "Diverse By Design." In the interview, I was asked to address what motivated me to plant a multi-ethnic church and why it is so strategic for the expansion of the Gospel in the 21st century, some of the obstacles we face, the difference between multi-ethnic and multi-cultural and what I might say to existing churches seeking to transition from mono- to multi-ethnic.

While it's short in length and broad in focus, I've already heard from pastors around the country encouraged by the aritcle. Here's one comment I'll particularly treasure ...

"Hey, great article/interview in leadership magazine this week! Thank you for helping all of us out here believe this can be done and showing us an example of how God has already worked!"

You know, it's that kind of understanding and appreciation - though not often expressed - that really keeps me and other multi-ethnic local church planters and pastors going in this still early, pioneer stage of the movement. Thanks to all, like this one, who take the time to express themselves and who really do appreciate the faith, courage and sacrifice increasing numbers are making to realize the local church on earth as it is in heaven.

October 08, 2008

As I wrote on September 3, a new chapter began in the life of Mosaic when (that month) we formally enfolded a seven year-old, homogeneous (Latino) congregation of nearly 100 people and two paid pastors - formerly, the Iglesia Nazareno del Samaritano - into our body.

How's it going so far? In a word, great!

Here, then, is a brief, initial evaluation based on some of the seven core commitments of a healthy multi-ethnic church as outlined in my book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-bass/Leadership Network, 2007).

Empower Diverse Leadership
Both Pastor Osmani Silva and Pastor Jorge Bazan are now fully integrated into our staff team, not only attending but increasingly involved in providing valuable contribution to our weekly meetings. Along this line, we're now constructing offices for them this week in our administration area. And as one of four teaching pastors now serving Mosaic, Pastor Silva attends weekly planning meetings focused on the Sunday services. In pursuit of cross-cultural competency (core commitment #5), Pastor Silva is now teaching a basic course for our staff, a basic introduction to Spanish, on Monday afternoons at 3:00 pm!

Take Intentional Steps, Core Commitment #2
This coming Sunday at 6:00 pm, we will - for the first time - align the teaching that night with that of our 9:00 am and 10:45 am services. In so doing, it is our intention to establish a true, 3rd service option for all people at Mosaic, albeit where - at that hour - English speakers will be the ones wearing headsets through which translation is provided (i.e., in reverse of the 10:45 am format). So while on most occasions, one of three Latino pastors will be speaking at the 6:00 pm service, the message will feature the same passage and principles as will have been preached at the 9:00 am and 10:45 am servce earlier in the day, yet in their own words, style, language and outline.

One concern we are closely watching, however, is the potential for movement of all Latinos from the 10:45 am service to the 12:30 pm venue and/or 6:00 pm 3rd service. In other words, will the Latinos that were already attedning Mosaic prior to the merger soon shift to the all Latino venue or 6:00 pm service? To avoid this, we believe continued communication of our vision and mission of Mosaic, as well as the purposes for the 12:30 pm venue and 6:00 pm service will be critical. Indeed, there are already good signs that what we hope will transpire, is happening.

For instance, via the merger we have added musicians to the church - several Latinos who are now playing (serving) in the 9:00 am and 10:45 am services, and then attending the 12:30 pm venue for worship, themselves. In another instance, a Latino family that for years has regularly attended the 10:45 am service, is now serving in the 12:30 pm venue. So, again, such people model an intended outcome for others and (we hope) will help shape the future of our church.

Promote a Spirit of Inclusion, Core Commitment #6
At Mosaic, all members have pre-printed nametags awaiting their arrival each Sunday. After several weeks of gathering basic information, all those enfolded through the merger now have nametags, as well.

And finally ...

Years ago, I heard a pastor say, "Numbers say something, they don't say everything." To this day, I think his words provide those who might otherwise lean one way or the other, a great deal of balance and perspective on the matter. With this in mind, then, and for those interested, the 12:30 pm venue - a time primarily focused on evangelism and enfolding of first generation (1.0) Latinos - has grown through the weeks from an initial 60 or so attenders to 119 this past Sunday. And this past week, the 6:00 pm service had slightly more than 100 folks in attendance, with a good mix of English speakers, too.

That said, and with the help of the merger, I am encouraged to report that Mosaic broke 600 in attendance for the first time in its history this past Sunday.